Chapter 27
Chris was in her sister's room when she heard someone ringing the doorbell repeatedly and pounding on the wood. She and Lilly exchanged curious looks and Chris decided to go downstairs and see who was so desperate to come in.
"Jack, hey I didn't expect…is that blood…oh my God are you hurt?"
Jack shook his head, looking down at his blood stained shirt and tie "Chris, is Lilly here?"
"Yeah she's upstairs" She replied slowly "Jack, where is Scotty?"
"I need to see Lilly, now"
Panic surged through Chris as she realised, what the connection between Scotty's absence and the blood stained clothes of her boyfriend meant. "Oh God, she's upstairs" Chris lead her boyfriend towards Lilly room, finding her sister still trying to knit a pair of booties for the baby.
"I don't think this looks right" Lilly announced as she held up the mis-shaped sock, her eyes fell on Jack and his appearance and her heart leapt into her throat.
"What happened?" she asked
"Scotty's been shot, he's been taken to Memorial"
The knitting dropped from Lilly's hands as they began to shake with fear "Is he…..is he dead?"
Jack sighed "from what I could tell he's in critical condition"
"No, oh God no"
She sank to the floor, her shaking hands running through her hair. Not Scotty, Oh God no not her husband.
It was if Lilly had gone suddenly deaf, white noise filled her ears. She could see Jack's mouth moving but all she could focus on was the blood on his shirt. Scotty's blood, her husband's blood. So much blood that he couldn't still possibly be alive. All she could think about was that her husband was dead and that she was going to be all alone, raising 4 children without their father.
"Lilly, I am gonna take you to the hospital now ok?"
Tears were welling in her blue eyes and she nodded "I'll pick up the kids from school and look after them, don't worry about the kids" Chris said, placing a hand on Lilly's shoulder.
Jack guided Lilly down the stairs and out to his car, she was on auto pilot, following numbly behind Jack to his car.
"We have to call his parents, and Mike….they'll need to know" Lilly whispered, tears rolling down her cheeks, she was trying hard to remain calm, but inside she was screaming with grief.
"I have already sent some agents over to your mother in law's and Mike's place, I'll expect that they'll meet you there" Jack replied and Lilly nodded again.
"Thanks, Jack"
Lilly wept silently, staring out the window, thinking about the last conversation she had with Scotty. She couldn't remember if she told him that she loved him. Something that she said to him maybe only a few times a week, she knew that he knew that she loved him, but it suddenly became so important that she could tell him now, if only for the last time.
"We're here. I'll park the car you just get inside"
Lilly got out of the car, before it had even stopped and ran into the emergency room.
"Please, my husband was brought in, he's been shot"
The nurse frowned sympathetically "what's your husband's name Ma'am"
"Scott, Agent Scott Valens"
The nurse ran her finger down a long list of people and nodded "He's still being assessed, I'll take you back to the visitors room….your family is already here"
When the visitors door opened and she spotted Mike, pacing the floor in front of the couch where his parents sat. He looked up and saw Lilly "Oh Lil"
Lilly let out a chocked sob and collapsed in Mike's arms, griping him tightly as she wept into his dress shirt
"I am so sorry Lil" Mike whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"Me too" Lilly replied, finally pulling back wiping a hand across her red eyes "have you heard anything?" Lilly asked, looking between Mike, Rosa and Ramiro.
Ramiro shook his head "not yet"
"The doctor will be in when…" Mike trailed off and swallowed thickly "…when they get him stabilized"
Lilly nodded, taking a seat on the couch.
"You want something to drink Lil?" Mike asked
"No, thank you" Lilly murmured "where's Allie?"
Mike ran a hand through his hair "um, she's picking up Emilio from school and dropping and Maria off with Cousin Karmen, she'll be here later"
Minutes seemed to last hours, Lilly stared at the clock and could swear that it was broken, it seemed to be dragging, the door opened and a white hair man walked in in green scrubs "Valens?"
"Yes" Lilly replied "I am his wife"
The doctor nodded and walked over to their small group "Mrs Valens, I am doctor Spears I'm the ER physician that treated your husband"
"These are Scott's parents and his brother"
Dr Spears nodded "Scott was brought in with multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen, the damage seems to be contained to the pulmonary artery, lungs and heart"
"Oh my God" Lilly murmured
"I don't understand, I thought he always wore a bulletproof vest, he was wearing one right?" Mike asked, confusion etched on his face.
Dr Spears nodded "He was, the bullets penetrated. I think we'll find the shooter used KTW bullets, more commonly called…."
"Cop killers" Lilly whispered and the Dr nodded
"Dr is my son alive?" Rosa asked
"He's in a critical condition but he is alive, we are about to take him to surgery now"
"Can I see him? I need to see him" Lilly said
"Mrs Valens, I am afraid that's not possible at this time"
"Please, even if only for a minute…I need to see him"
Dr Spears sighed and eventually nodded.
Lilly stared through the glass door to the trauma room at her husband, still on the gurney a tube in his mouth and wires and IV lines everywhere. Her eyes travelled up to the heart monitor, feeling relieved by the beeping that indicated her husband was still alive "Mrs Valens, we have to take your husband to surgery now" She nodded "I can assure you that we have the best Cardio Thoracic surgeon in Pennsylvania working in this hospital, Dr Wallace, your husband is in good hands. Nurse Marquez will show you and your family where you can wait on the surgical floor if you like? You'd be more comfortable up there"
Lilly nodded running a hand over her bump as the baby started doing somersaults again.
"Come with me Mrs Valens, I'll show you up stairs" the nurse said kindly.
Rosa, Ramiro, Mike and Lilly sat in silence in the waiting room on the surgery floor; Scotty had been in surgery for three hours now. Lilly had called her sister to check on the triplets and Chris told her that she had told them that Daddy was not well and Mummy had taken him to the hospital.
Lilly appreciated that her sister had shielded the children from the truth, the last thing she needed right now was to worry about the triplets. Allie walked over to them, wrapping her arms around her husband and kissing his cheek "Have you heard anything? How is he?"
Mike hugged her close to him "not yet, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing"
"Lilly can I get you something? A tea? Something to eat?" Allie asked
Lilly shook her head "no, I am fine" she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, kneading her lower back with her fingers.
"Is your back hurting dear?" Rosa asked
Lilly sighed "it's alright it's just this chair isn't the most comfortable" she stood up "excuse me, need to use the bathroom"
"Me too" Allie added, getting back up to join her sister in law.
The pain in her lower back intensified as she and Allie walked down the hallway to the bathroom, and she wished that she wasn't here. Wished that she was at home in bed with her husband, with his strong comforting arms wrapped around her.
Allie disappeared into a stall and Lilly leant against the sink, staring at her reflection in the mirror, taking in her dishevelled appearance.
She grabbed a hand towel from the dispenser and wet it, wiping the mascara off her cheeks and from around her eyes.
A sharp stab of pain made her drop the tissue, she doubled over and winced. Oh God not now she thought, no this could not be happening.
Allie emerged from the stall and spotted her "Lil? Are you alright?"
Lilly nodded "it's nothing"
"It doesn't look like nothing, Lil I think you're having contractions"
Lilly shook her head violently "I am not having contractions, I can't be, not now"
Allie sighed "I think that we should get a doctor to look at you"
The pain subsided and Lilly took a deep breath "I am fine, I just need my husband to be alright"
Before Allie could say anything else Lilly had walked out of the bathroom, heading back over to the waiting area.
She spotted a Dr talking to Scotty's family and her heart leapt into her throat and she ran as fast as she could over to them "What happened?" Lilly asked, fear radiating through her.
"Mrs Valens?" The Dr asked ad Lilly nodded "I'm Dr Gates, I am assisting Dr Wallace with your husband's surgery"
"Is he ok" she asked, feeling the tears stinging her eye.
"We've managed to get him stabilized and have put him on Bypass to repair the damage to his heart and the pulmonary artery"
"So he is still alive?"
Dr Gates nodded "yes ma'am, Dr Wallace wanted me to give you an update"
"How much longer will it take?" Mike asked looking relived that baby brother was still alive.
"Dr Wallace is estimating another 5 to 6 hours, maybe you should go home and get some sleep. We'll call when we know more"
Dr Gates turned and walked back down the corridor, pushing through double door and out of sight.
"Gracias a Dios" Ramiro murmured under his breath, making the sigh of the cross over his chest before sitting back down next to his wife.
Mike ran a hand over his tired face and wrapped his arms around his wife.
Scotty was alive, the Doctor was confident that he was going to make it. Her world made sense again, her husband was going to live.
Allie watched Lilly as she sat back down rubbing her back again and she knew that her sister in law was hiding the fact that she was having contractions. Lilly wasn't going to just will the contractions to stop and Allie sighed, Lilly was probably going to hate her for this but she didn't want anything to happen to Lilly, or her niece or nephew.
A nurse wandered by, her nose buried in a chart and Allie spoke up "excuse me" the nurse stopped and looked over at her.
"Yes?"
"My sister in law, I think she's starting to have contractions"
Lilly shook her head "I am fine" Lilly protested but she winced and let out a groan.
The nurse squatted down in front of Lilly "how far apart are the contractions?"
"There not contractions, I just have a sore back" she insisted
"The last one was about 7 minutes ago" Allie said "we were in the bathroom"
The nurse got to her feet and attracted the attention of a passing doctor "I'm fine really"
"Just let the Doctor Grieve examine you alright?" The nurse said kindly "you wanna make sure your baby is alright, don't you?"
Lilly sighed, looking over at her family, seeing the concern and worry etched on their faces, but not for Scotty this time…..for her. She nodded and the Doctor helped her to her feet and led her down the hallway to an empty exam room "It's just back pain, those chairs are crappy"
Dr Grieve grinned "that they are, but I'll still feel better if you let me at least give you an ultrasound….make sure that everything is alright"
"Ok"
Dr Grieve helped her onto the bed and wheeled an ultrasound machine and Lilly lifted up her shirt and the Dr Grieve squirted some gel on the probe.
"Are you even an OB?" Lilly asked curiously
Dr Grieve grinned "I am a second year surgical resident, but I but I did an OB rotation….I can call another Doctor if you want?"
Lilly shook her head "its fine"
He placed the probe on Lilly's stomach and her heart skipped a beat when she saw her baby on the screen and she smiled for the first time in hours.
"She's looking good, her heartbeat is strong"
"She?" Lilly asked
"Yeah, you didn't know?"
Lilly shook her head "no, my husband…..my husband and I wanted it to be a surprise"
"I'm sorry Ma'am…"
"No it's ok"
He handed her a tissue and she wiped her stomach, she was about to hop down off the table when the pain struck again, this time much more intense "I don't think this is back pain, you're having contractions"
Lilly was finally forced to admit the truth, she was in labour.
"My OB, Dr Palmer….can you page him"
"Sure, does he have privileges at this hospital?"
Lilly nodded "He delivered my triplets here"
Dr Grieve nodded "I'll page him, anyone else you want me to call…your husband?"
Tears started to roll down her cheeks again and she shook her head "he's in surgery…he's a cop and he was shot"
Dr Grieve frowned "I am sorry, I'll go page Dr Palmer and tell your family"
A/n: We can all breath a sigh of relief. Scotty is alive. But now Lilly is in labour, how will she handle this without Scotty by her side?